Hide Your Matches
by MoonChild2308
Summary: As an American girl without the ability to read the language, moving to Japan was a terrible idea. But things begin to pick up when she makes friends with Yusuke and the team. Can Kurama help her make sense of the strange powers she seems to have the past she's running so desperately from? Kurama/OC
1. Chapter 1

I tried writing this story about a year ago but unfortunately I fell out of Yu Yu Hakusho and with the other fanfics I had going on at the time, it fell into un-interest. But thanks to my amazing friend FireStorm1991 I'm going to start it up again, under the same name as before but things will be different if anyone actually remembers this from last time. Anyway I'm just going to start this now so review if you like it!

Chapter 1

"Mickey?" The girl stirred slightly at the sound of the boy's voice. "Mickey, wake up!"

Her eyes fluttered open as she struggled to take a breath. She panicked for a split second, wondering why she was finding it hard to breathe, but relaxed when saw the young boy, eight years in age, sitting on her stomach. "Oh lord almighty, please help me! I have magically and mysteriously turned into a bench overnight!"

"You're silly, Mickey. You're not a bench," the young boy told her. "You're a person."

"No, no, no. I think you're the silly one, Alexander," the girl said with an attempt at a serious look. "I must be a bench, otherwise why would you be sitting on me? You sit on benches, not people. But since you say that I am a person, you should get off me before this person suffocates."

Getting her hint, Alexander climbed off his sister and onto her floor. "Sorry, McKenzie. You were making noises in your sleep and you wouldn't wake up. Was it that nightmare again?"

McKenzie sat up, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Yeah, it was. I'm okay, though." _What other nightmare do I ever have? I dread it every night._ She noticed the frown still on his small face and she sat up, swinging her feet down to the floor. She lifted him up by the waist and plopped him on her lap, his back to her chest, and wrapped her arms around him, taking his hands in hers. "What's wrong, little man?"

He squirmed in his new seat but she refused to let him escape. "Stop treating me like a kid! I'm all grown up now!"

"Of course you are, sweetie," she said with a smile, resting her chin on top of his head. "That still doesn't tell me what's wrong."

She could tell he was pouting about what he believed was childish treatment so she started to hum a tune familiar to him. "_Just close your eyes; the sun is going down. You'll be alright. No one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound_."

He relaxed into her and she kissed the top of his head. "Mickey?"

"Hm?"

"I miss my old school…" _Ah, so that's what's bothering him. He doesn't want to start at a new school._ "I liked my friends back in New Jersey. I don't wanna go to a new school. I won't know anybody. And what if they're all mean and don't like me?"

"Oh, having friends is overrated anyway," she said with a laugh. "Trust me, kiddo, you're going to be fantastic. You're going to be the cool kid from America and everyone's going to want to be your very best friend. You're going to have to fight them off, there's going to be so many."

He turned his head to look at her with hopeful eyes. "You think so?"

"I know so." She kissed his cheek and proceeded to scoot him off her lap. "Just don't tell them you're from a town called Middlesex. Even in Japan, that's a terrible name. Now go downstairs so I can get changed. I'm sure Grace has breakfast on the table already. I love you."

"Love you more," he smiled and ran out her bedroom door.

Alone now, McKenzie couldn't help but smile to herself. _He's going to be okay_, she thought as she stood up.

Her bedroom was almost completely bare, except for the boxes of her things piled around that she hadn't yet unpacked. She had thrown some of her clothes in her dresser but the only things hanging in her closet were several sets of the new school uniform she was required to wear. Retrieving one from its hanger, she changed and headed downstairs.

In the kitchen, her brother was sitting at the table while a blonde woman stood at the stove, flipping pancakes in the frying pan. "Morning, Grace. Where's Jack?"

"He had to leave early for work." The woman shut off the stovetop and turned around. "I think it suits you," she said, referring to the girl's uniform.

McKenzie glanced down at herself and made a face. The uniform of her new school, Sarayashiki Junior High, was hideous as far as she was concerned. It was blue in color with a skirt that came down past her knees and a heavy blouse with long sleeves and yellow scarf tied around her neck. "If you say so."

"Would you like some pancakes for breakfast, McKenzie?" Grace offered, piling the last of the pancakes on the plate on the table. "Or I could make some eggs. Whatever you want."

"No thanks," McKenzie answered quickly. "I'm not really hungry."

"How about a ride to school? I can drop both of you off on my way out to run some errands."

"Sounds good," Alexander answered in between pancake bites. "I'm not sure where mine is. You gonna come with us, Mickey?"

Shaking her head, McKenzie threw her schoolbag over her shoulder. "I don't think so, kiddo. I know where my school is and I think I'd rather walk today. I gotta get going, though, so see you guys later. I love you," she said to Alexander as she tousled his hair.

"I love you more." He stuck his tongue out at her as he shooed her hand away.

"I love you most. I'll be there when you get out of school so don't go anywhere without me. We'll come home and play a video game, okay?" That seemed to make him happy and she left it at that.

~X~

McKenzie took a deep breath of air as she walked to school. It was a sunny day and warm enough to make her happy. As happy as she could be, going to a new school in a new country, anyway. The school wasn't far from her house, only a few blocks. As she walked, she noticed people she passed by were giving her strange looks. "Oh, yes, let's all just stare at the weird American girl!" she grumbled to herself, earning stranger looks than the ones she had already been getting. "There aren't enough funny looking American girls in Japan with funny hair that talk to themselves. Why not stare at her? She's so fucking rare!"

The look she began to give them made them promptly look away and she finished her walk to school in silence. The school was a bit smaller than she had expected it to be and she wandered inside amongst the other students. "Let's see… I'm supposed to go the main office and talk to the jerks in there." She looked up at the signs and numbers posted above each door and frowned. She had learned to speak the Japanese language easily enough but the written one was something she had yet to conquer. "Maybe if I just wander around long enough the main office will pop out and smack me in the face… Is it even called the main office here? Fuck."

Even here, she was receiving odd looks from the students who noticed her. _What the fuck is wrong with people? God damn jackasses with their imbecilic prejudices and fucking ugly faces staring at me. They're lucky I don't feel like blowing anything up today. Where the hell am I going?_ "Dumb ass language… When did drawings of boxes and crap become a language?"

"Something wrong, sweetie?"

McKenzie stopped in her tracks and barely suppressed a shudder. Turning on her heel she braced herself for the lump of meat that was looking at her like a lion looks at its prey. He was decent looking, she supposed, for someone she probably wouldn't be able to pick out of a crowd. "Well, aside from the brainless sack of shit doing a lousy job of hitting on me, I'm just damn peachy."

Ignoring her obvious disdain for him, the boy continued to look her up and down in interest. "I think I'd remember seeing you around before so you must be new. I selflessly take it upon myself to show the new girls, especially the hot ones, the ropes around here."

_Did he really just say that?_ "Since you're obviously an imbecile who can't comprehend a simple _get the fuck out of my face, you pompous jackass_, I'm going to make it real simple." _Calm down, McKenzie, before things blow up in your face._ "If you don't get out of my face right now, I'm going to-"

"Akito!" a female voice called from behind him. "I believe she told you to leave her alone."

A brunette girl walked around him to stand by McKenzie, giving him a stern look. "Damn," Akito sighed, turning around to walk away. "If it wasn't for you being Urameshi's girl…"

"Finally," McKenzie groaned to herself. She gave the girl the best smile she could. "Thanks for that. See you around."

"My name's Keiko Yukimura," the girl said, moving to keep up with McKenzie as she continued to stroll down the hallway. "You must be the new girl from America. McKenzie Cole, right?"

McKenzie slowed her pace, seeing as Keiko wasn't likely to just walk away. "That would be me."

"Nice to meet you. I'm the class representative and I'm supposed to show you around, if you want." Keiko was able to get a good look at the new girl now that she had stopped trying to walk away from her.

She was pretty and… different. Definitely different than what they were used to around school. McKenzie wasn't much taller than her, maybe by an inch or two at most. Her skin was cream colored and her face was covered in freckles with a small beauty mark under her right eye. Her wide eyes were a blue-gray, the color of slate and her dark auburn hair was long and kept in a braid over her right shoulder, with a thin strand of hair left out that she was currently twirling around her finger. What was so strange about her? Not only was her hair auburn but she had dyed strands of her hair different colors so that she had highlights in shades of blues, pinks and purples.

"No, I think I'm…" McKenzie stopped and thought to herself. "Actually, can you show me where the main office is? I, uh… Can't seem to tell which one it is."

Taking the lead, Keiko started showing her down the hallway. "Are you having trouble with the language?"

The girl snorted. "I can speak it just fine. Talking in any language comes easy to me. It's the reading part I can't get down."

Keiko felt bad for the girl. Getting by in school wouldn't be easy without the ability to comprehend the written word. "If you want, I can help you. I'm an excellent tutor and I've helped other students with their reading."

_Well, isn't she just helpful?_ _Hell, what have I got to lose? The worst that can happen is I still can't read._ "Sure. Why not?"

Keiko smiled at the chance to help her out. "The main office is just down this hallway. If you have any questions or need anything, I'm always around so don't be afraid to come find me. A word of advice, though. Most of the teachers here are pretty nice and so is the principle, Mr. Takanaka. But watch out for Ayakashi and Iwamoto. They have it out for most students."

"Good to know." McKenzie grinned, thinking she might have some fun here after all. "I'll make sure to piss them off." She almost laughed at the look of surprise Keiko gave her. "What? Life's no fun with no one to argue with." She stopped, then though of another question important to her. "What's the rules on smoking here?"

* * *

Hope you like it :) Don't forget to review!


	2. Chapter 2

Hope you liked the first chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Keep it up! I really like McKenzie and so everything is a little McKenzie intensive, much more focused on the OC than some of my other stories but I love her and I'm really excited for this whole story and thanks again to FireStorm1991 for being basically my best friend and helping me out so much with all of this.

Chapter 2

McKenzie chewed on a strand of hair, the one she kept loose from her braid, in aggravation as she trudged down the hospital hallway. "Go take a break my ass," she grumbled to herself. "If I wanted to take a goddamn break, I would. Because I'm really going to work myself to death watching a bunch of little kids." She had made it her job to volunteer at the local hospital a long time ago and even living in Japan wasn't going to change that. But no matter what hospital she volunteered at, she was always put in the children's ward to help out with the sick kids. The downfall? She hated taking breaks. But that wasn't what was really getting her this time. Now, she felt guilty at having left Alexander at home. _He's got a cold and just the look on his face when he asked me to stay home and play with him…_

"Excuse me?" She nearly jumped as a hand tapped her shoulder. She turned around to see a young man, about the same age as her, with long red hair and green eyes. "Do you know where Dr. Sakamoto is? He's supposed to run some tests on my mother."

"Well, gee, I would just love to tell you where he is, crimson locks, but I don't know which friggin' doctor he is!" she snapped, her frustration boiling over.

The boy seemed unfazed by her outburst. "Dr. Sakamoto is an older man, bald with-"

"That wasn't an invitation to tell me what he looks like! I don't know where he is, okay? Go find one of the other idiots working here and ask them!" Without waiting for his response, she resumed her storming down the hallway.

~X~

Kurama walked down the hallway of the hospital, greeting the employees and patients who passed by him with a smile as usual. He had finally managed to locate Dr. Sakamoto and now his mother was off having tests run. Although his mother's illness had been cured with Yusuke's help by the Forlorn Hope, the hospital was cautious about it having disappeared so suddenly and liked to check up on her every month or so. And though he knew it was unlikely that she would get sick again, he worried sometimes that the illness might show up again and so he insisted on these hospital visits as much as the doctors did.

There was nothing for him to do while he waited for them to run her tests so he liked to wander around the hospital during that time. He knew the entire staff by name and they didn't mind his wandering. Well, almost the entire staff anyway. The girl he had run into earlier was someone he didn't recognize. It surprised him that the hospital would bring in someone so snarky and rude to the patients.

He passed by a young girl's room in the children's ward. She was someone he knew very well from his time spent at the hospital, by the name of Mei. She had been there for as long as his mother had, sick with cancer.

He stopped as he passed the doorway and backtracked. In the room, sitting on the bed with Mei, was the same hospital employee from earlier, the girl with the colored streaks in her hair. He wasn't sure why but she intrigued him, and so he ducked behind the wall out of their sight to watch.

"What'd you have a nightmare about, sweetie?" the girl was asking Mei, who was trembling beside her on the bed. Mei shook her head, chewing her lip, and the girl smiled. "You don't want to talk about it? That's okay, too. I don't like to talk much about my nightmares either."

This seemed to surprise Mei and she looked up at the older girl in wonder. "You have nightmares, too, McKenzie?"

So her name was McKenzie. Obviously not a Japanese name; she must be from a different part of the world. "Of course I do," McKenzie said as she ran her hands through the child's long hair, brushing it out with her fingers but seeming to cause Mei no pain. "Everyone has nightmares. Some are caused by things you've done and others are because of things we fear but everyone gets them. And everyone is afraid of them, no matter what they say." Mei relaxed, letting a yawn escape. "Do you think you can go back to sleep?" She instantly shook her head. "I know what will help. I sing this to my little brother when he has trouble sleeping. _I will let you go when the world stops spinning. I will let you go when the world stops spinning. I will let you go when the sun and the stars explode, and the world stops spinning._" Her fears quelled, Mei lied back down in her bed and closed her eyes.

McKenzie stood up from the bed and picked up a few charts she had next to her, being careful not to disturb the young girl. She glanced at Kurama as she left the room and, without saying anything, closed the door to the girl's room and started down the hallway. Unsure of what she was expecting him to do, he followed along behind her, keeping pace with her easily.

She waited until they were a short distance away from Mei's room to stop and face him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry?" he said, knowing fully well what she was talking about.

He noticed her nose was scrunched up, reminding him of a rabbit; something that must happen when she got angry. "What gives you the goddamn right to watch me like a creep?" she growled, watching him suspiciously.

Kurama smiled innocently, amused. "My deepest apologies, McKenzie, if I made you feel uncomfortable. That was not my intent. I was simply intrigued by the difference in your attitude from earlier."

"Earlier?" She gave him a closer look and frowned. "You're the jerk who pestered me about Doctor Doolittle, aren't you? Why the hell won't you leave me alone?"

He ignored her comment. "You handle children quite well. Not everyone shows them the care they deserve, as you did. I know Mei very well. She doesn't open up to just anyone."

She stopped fuming long enough to sigh. "A child's life is hard enough without more people making it worse." She turned to the charts in her arms. "Now buzz off before I have to kick your ass."

Not wanting to bother her further, Kurama was content to walk away, until he noticed how intently she was staring at the chart on top of the pile. "Is something wrong?"

"You're still here?" She barely glanced up, though he saw the frustrated look on her face. "Everything's fine. I just have to bring this chart to room…"

It occurred to Kurama, seeing how she stared at the number on the paper, that McKenzie was having trouble reading. _It makes sense if she's from another country._ "Room 246."

"I knew that, asshole. If I wanted your help, I'd ask."

He gave her a skeptical look. "Then what is the patient's name?"

Giving him a dirty look, she promptly started to answer. "His name is…" She struggled to make sense of it for along moment before giving up. "Okay, fine! I can't friggin' read! Go ahead; make fun of me. I know it's pathetic."

"Nonsense," he said softly, to her surprise. He didn't point out to her that the patient was a she instead of a man; he knew it would just anger her further. "It is nothing to be ashamed of. Japanese is a hard language to learn." She seemed unsure of what to say or do now so he reached out and gently pulled the charts from her hands. "Allow me to help you bring these around, please. My name is Shuichi, by the way."

"What? Wait. I didn't ask for help," McKenzie protested as he started leading her down the hallway.

"I insist."

~X~

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Kurama said as McKenzie handed off the last chart to a doctor and left the patient's room.

"Shut the hell up, Red." She began twisting her loose strand of hair around her index finger. "I'm exhausted."

Kurama couldn't help but grin a little bit when he heard a rumbling sound. "Sounds like you're hungry instead. Let me get you something to eat."

That was where she drew the line. _He can help me read charts all he wants but I'll be damned if I'm going to eat with this freak._ "Yeah… I'm just gonna walk away now. Nice to meet you. Bye."

He quickly stepped in front of her, the smile never leaving his face. "Please, I insist. You've been here at the hospital for most of the day and I'm assuming you haven't had much to eat so far. Proper nutrition is key to doing a job well, and to learning a language."

"Damn it, Shuichi," she groaned at his stubbornness. He was almost as bad as her. "You're not allowed to use my lack of reading skills against me." _I suppose a meal wouldn't be the worst, especially if he's paying for it._

She let him take her to the cafeteria, then proceeded to fill her plate with any sort of food he saw that looked good. He laughed a little when she turned back to him with a plate piled high. Her revenge for his being so insistent must be a pricey lunch. He didn't say anything about the amount of food as he paid for their meals and followed her to a table.

She seemed content on ignoring him as she quickly began devouring her food. He waited until she was starting to slow down to talk. "How long have you been living in Japan for?"

"A few weeks. Long enough to know my way around town and Sarayashiki but not long enough for me to know how to read."

_So she goes to school with Yusuke and Kuwabara. I'm sure the three of them will get along well._ "I could help you with your reading."

"You?" She gave him a suspicious look. "And why the hell should I let you do that?"

"Because I am at the top of my class in school," he explained, leaning forward in his seat. "And because I am an excellent tutor. I can guarantee an improvement in your ability to read Japanese." She still seemed skeptical so he continued. "What harm can it do? At least give it one shot. If you don't feel like you improved after one lesson, you can quit and I'll never bring it up again."

"You're a pest." She rolled her eyes as she thought it over. "Fine," she said after a few minutes. "You have one chance to teach me something about reading this godforsaken language. But I'll give you a shot. It's gotta be better than nothing."


End file.
